


Vessel

by harbingerofanewage



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Action, Canon Compliant (Mostly), Drama, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2015-10-07
Packaged: 2018-04-25 02:57:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4944067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harbingerofanewage/pseuds/harbingerofanewage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I keep thinking about Kuvira."</p><p>"Why is that?" </p><p>"I just have these concerns I can't get out of my head. Is she secure, is she being treated well..."</p><p>"She won't be breaking out, Korra. I made sure of that before we left. And I don't think anybody wants to catch the international outrage that would come from mistreating a prisoner of war like that, so she'll be fine." </p><p>Korra sighed. "Okay.... I just get worried sometimes, is all." </p><p>Asami took Korra's hand and intertwined their fingers. "No need to be worried, Korra. Republic City is done being in danger for a while."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Life(less)

In the years since Avatar Korra arrived on the scene, Republic City had come to know turmoil. Time and again, Korra saved the city from the threats that faced it; be they internal or external. 

Most of the world saw Korra as the hero of Republic City and the world, the one who saved everyone from eternal darkness. Inside the city, however, there was a different opinion of her. Whereas vast parts of the world had not seen negative effects from her work, everyone in Republic City had been directly affected by her herculean battles. To them, Korra was a self-fulfilling guardian barely doing her job of protecting their homes. Any time the city was attacked, the damage came from someone trying to hit Korra, for reasons that were above their head. Sure, they’d been saved from total destruction, but had the Avatar lived somewhere else, perhaps their city wouldn’t have unpredictable spirit vines and a potentially dangerous spirit portal, along with the damage caused by them. Because of this, the citizens of the city had grown into a defeatist set of mind; the general consensus being that the city would once come against some other colossal danger, that it was only a matter of time before their city would only barely be saved from destruction by the Avatar. There was nothing they could do but live their lives as they would before, just with the tacit but omnipresent acknowledgement that it could fall apart again any time. 

The possible presence of soldiers still in the city was concerning, and the fear that the woman who had wrecked a large part of the city was still somewhere in the vicinity was something persistently in the back of everyone’s heads. The atmosphere was a mix of weariness, relief, regrowth, with a twinge of fear. The Avatar could do little to assuage any apprehension. When she would help bring fresh water to those in need, she was always treated with gratitude, initially. Behind each “Thank you” given there was a hint, even if not intentional, of “you caused this”. Korra could sense it. She did her best, but most of her interactions with the affected consisted of uncertain assurances, forced smiles and conversation, quickly averted eyes, followed by a quick scurrying off to attend to business. 

But still Korra did her best she could in the time before she and Asami planned to leave for the spirit world. After Varrick and Zhu Li’s wedding, Korra and Asami hurriedly made arrangements so that they could go on their vacation. Since Asami was CEO of the foremost industrial company in Republic City, there was public pressure on her to help reconstruction. For two days she surveyed the destruction, then for four days she rapidly designed plans for what buildings could be rebuilt and which ones would need to be demolished. 

Korra helped to move citizens who had been displaced from their destroyed homes into makeshift tent camps that would provide shelter, food, and water. Since it had been confirmed that there were eight deaths from the attack, Korra requested, in the name of the families who lost a loved one, that a formal Memorial For the Fallen be put in place by the Republic City government. 

After Asami finished her plans, she gave the position of Interim CEO, including the authority to carry out her plans, to her most trusted advisor. Korra made a public announcement that the spirit world can be a dangerous place, and that it would be in everyone’s best interest to not go through the portal. Most of Republic City’s citizens were happy to oblige. 

After the two decided they had fulfilled enough of their duties, they disappeared from the spotlight, and each packed up for their trip to the spirit world. Shortly, they stepped into the spirit world in the warm glow of the portal; a tacit acknowledgement between them that their relationship had reached some new level, and that things would never be quite the same between the two women. 

–

Things _were_ better than ever, and the two delighted in each other’s company. They ventured through the spirit world, through forests of purple and meadows varying from orange to green to a deep blue. They had grown a bit weary from their travels over the past week, so they decided to take a day to just lay and watch the clouds go by. 

“Hey Asami?” Korra was lying on soft, green grass underneath the vibrant blue sky.

“Yeah, Korra?” Asami was lying next to the Avatar, enjoying the peaceful quiet of the day. 

Korra propped herself up on her elbows and said, “Do you feel bad for leaving Republic City like it is?” 

Asami rolled on her side to look at Korra and said, “Well, sometimes. But then I remember I’m in the spirit world with the best person ever.” She sat up and took Korra’s hands in her own. “And besides, the city is doing fine. I left Future Industries to Gao. She’s capable. And she has my plans. She’s perfectly able to execute them until we get back. And Tenzin and the airbenders are doing everything they can to assist the people whose homes were destroyed.” 

Korra averted her gaze and said, “I just feel like I shouldn’t turn my back on the city.” 

“Korra, you helped take down a mechagiant, and the most powerful metalbender there is. If you hadn’t beaten Kuvira, she would be occupying the city right now. You deserve a vacation. And besides, you didn’t just run off. You helped people get into those camps so they could have a place to live and eat! And you got progress rolling on a memorial! You’ve done everything but turn your back on the city.” Asami lifted a hand and cupped Korra’s cheek, and said, “It’s okay that you’re taking a vacation. You’re not betraying anybody.” 

Korra relaxed at the sense of Asami’s touch, and said. “Okay. I’m glad I get to be here with you. I do deserve a vacation.” Korra’s eyebrows scrunched up, and she said, “A vacation with somebody who has the softest hands ever.” She sniffed, and said, “And they smell incredible, too. Damn, Asami, how do you manage that?” 

Asami blushed and retracted her hand. Rubbing her hands together, she said, “Well, I work on machines a lot. That means my hands get dirty, so I wash my hands frequently. That, plus I use a lot of lotion. Expensive, scented lotion.” 

Korra leaned towards Asami and whispered, “I want you to rub my face.” 

Asami leaned back and laughed. “What?” 

“I want you to rub my face. Your hands are just so soft and soothing.” 

Still a little confused, Asami said, “Um, okay then?” 

“Come on Asami, just do it.” She couldn’t resist when she saw the sparkle in those blue eyes and the smile of anticipation on her face. 

“Alright then, I’ll do it.” Korra leaned in close, and Asami brought her hands up to her cheeks. Gently, she brushed her fingers along Korra’s forehead, down to her cheekbones, and to her jawline. Korra simply melted, closing her eyes and sighing wistfully. As Asami’s hands began to grow idle, Korra whispered, “Touch my neck.” 

“What?” 

Korra repeated, “Touch my neck, please.” 

“Okay.” The back of Asami’s hand trailed down to her bare neck. She lifted off her hand and ran a fingernail down the expanse of her exposed throat. Korra let out a slight moan, and started running her hands up and down Asami’s arms. Her lips slightly parted, she let her lips wander just inches from Asami’s. 

“Korra?” 

“Hmm?” She opened her eyes, then jumped back at the realization of what she was doing. 

“I, I’m so sorry. I, uh, I got eh, carried away I guess-” She blushed a deep red, and stared down at the ground. 

“It’s… alright. To be honest, I kinda let it happen. Me doing the fingernail thing and all. But I shouldn’t have. I’m still a little fragile right now. With my dad and everything that happened, I really shouldn’t open myself up in that kind of way yet.” 

Korra looked back up at those emerald eyes she adored, and said, “I understand. I do think we should take it slow, I just got caught up in the moment. We don’t do anything you’re not ready for, okay?” 

“Okay.” She smiled, and gave Korra a quick peck on the lips. “A small one, for now.” 

“Just a small one is good for me.” Korra cursed herself internally for not being fully prepared to take it in. 

“How about we lay back down and watch the clouds again, finish out our lazy day, huh?” 

Korra smiled and said, “Sounds perfect.” They both laid back down on the grass to gaze at the sky. After a few minutes, Korra broke the silence. “I keep thinking about Kuvira.”

“Why is that?” 

“I just have these concerns I can’t get out of my head. Is she secure, is she being treated well…” 

“She won’t be breaking out, Korra. I made sure of that before we left. And I don’t think anybody wants to catch the international outrage that would come from mistreating a prisoner of war like that, so she’ll be fine.” 

Korra sighed. “Okay…. I just get worried sometimes, is all.” 

Asami took Korra’s hand and intertwined their fingers. “No need to be worried, Korra. Republic City is done being in danger for a while.”

–

After Korra brought her back through the spirit portal and she surrendered, Kuvira was put into custody. The White Lotus was quickly called to bring the boat that had been Ghazan’s floating prison to the Republic City harbor. She was incarcerated there until a proper cell could be made to contain her.

The floating cell did definitively cut off all of her abilities, but Lin Beifong wanted to make sure that the same mistake wasn’t repeated twice. Ghazan got out because an accomplice brought his native element onto the boat. In open water, a single boat is vulnerable. Beifong made sure to have a cell built in a small United Forces base just outside the city. Although Kuvira gave her word she wouldn’t try to escape during the transfer, Beifong still had her locked in a straight jacket during transport. All parties involved, including Beifong, thought it was a bit harsh of a treatment, but Lin preferred to err on the side of caution. 

It grated on Kuvira that they used the straightjacket, despite all her promises to not try to escape. Even when she repeatedly explained that she was ready to pay for her wrongs, they still wouldn’t trust her. In the end, she accepted that her simple existence was a security risk at this point, and government officials in charge of her were going to act accordingly. 

Psychologically, the wooden cell was passable. Kuvira didn’t have her earth or metal, but she could see the blue of the water through the slats. She could hear the gentle movements of the waves, smell the salt of the sea. To pass the time she would pretend she was a pirate captured, simply biding her time until her scurvy crew would come and whisk her away to go on a maritime adventure. Kuvira did her best to get the most out of her short time on the ocean. She dreaded the day her transfer would come, the day the obscured view of the ocean and the soothing sound of the waves would be traded for something far worse. 

White walls. White walls and silence. That was what the former dictator had come to know, instead of the twisted charm of a wooden cell on the ocean. She came to know white walls, silence, and the bland taste of unseasoned rice, beans and bread, three times a day. Here there was nothing to smell. 

There was no metal here. At least, none that she could sense. Her cell was made out of pure platinum. She had wondered if it was perhaps another wooden cell somehow, but upon feeling the walls, she knew it to be the smooth sheen of the purest metal in the world. She thought of it as a cruel joke. Putting a metalbender in a big metal box that she can’t even budge, can’t even connect to. 

She used to be connected to everything. Walking through the train, traveling from state to state, she was surrounded by metal. With every step, she could feel all the activity of the vessel; all the work being done in her name, in the name of the Empire. The armor on her uniform was a part of her; a limb she could peel off and make deadly at a whim. Her soldiers, tools for the rebuilding of the nation. When they stood in formation, she could feel the energy, the pure power of the metal running through them. When she stood above her army, she knew she had all the power in the world to restore her nation. 

No more. Now in a prison on the outskirts of Republic City, Kuvira knew her nation was no longer hers to rule. For the most part, she accepted she went too far. She accepted that destroying people’s homes to claim them as her own would never achieve anything, except resentment from her new citizens, and ongoing conflict from the other nations to restore a true United Republic. That was the truth.

For some, the truth is hard. The truth is a punch to the gut, a slap in the face, a burning in one’s heart. Not for Kuvira. For her, the truth meant she didn’t feel alive anymore. It took everything that made her feel alive, stripped it from her, and shoved her in an empty cell. 

She didn’t have a uniform anymore. All she had were plain, cotton clothes. She felt too light, too weak. She felt naked, without the ability to even sense her surroundings. 

The last time she was in a platinum cage, she had the confidence of someone who had already won, the power of a god. Now, in this new cage, she had the shame of a criminal paying for their actions, and the power to control nothing. She felt utterly alone. As alone as she felt before she met Su. When she was abandoned by her parents. 

Kuvira didn’t think she deserved to die for her actions. But right now, it seemed to her like she already had.


	2. Love, and What It Is To Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra and Asami come across an old friend of the Avatar's and learn an important lesson.

_“Military movements? What do you mean?”_

_“Mostly whispers. Sources have told me that the common folk have been sighting troops moving through their states. To where, they don’t know.”_

_“Could just be retreating after their defeat.”_

_“That would be best.”_

_“But you don’t think that’s the case?”_

_“With her, undoubtedly.”_

_“If they’re making moves right now, it has to be under orders she made before the attack. A contingency plan for if she came under capture, most likely. Covering all the bases, sounds like something she would do. Do you have any confirmation on where they’re going?”_

_“No. But I do have a captive source of information at my hands.”_

_“She’s a hard woman, like she was made of metal herself. Do you really think she’s going to comply?”_

_“She’s softened up more than you think, General. Should come to her senses and tell me what I want to know. If she doesn’t comply, well, I have ways to fix that. In any case, you shouldn’t be worried about me, but about your army. Keep them fit, keep them at the ready. There’s no guarantee they won’t be needed again.”_

_“Understood, Mr. President.”_

_“Good.”_

–

Korra and Asami had been walking for about an hour, simply seeing what there was to see. Since this was Asami’s first time in the spirit world, she was soaking up as much of the scenery as she could. As they walked, Asami looked at the horizon to see a purple mass in the distance. She pointed and said, “Hey Korra, you see that purple on the horizon? It seems like it could be some sort of mountains.”

Korra raised her hand up to her brow and squinted her eyes to look. What she saw seemed familiar, like she might have been there before. After looking for a few seconds, her eyes widened with realization.

“Hey…. I think I’ve been there before!”

Asami looked at Korra, surprised. “Really?”

“Yeah! Do you want to go see it right now?” Korra looked at Asami and gave her a crooked smile. Asami squinted again, gauging the distance to the mountain.

“Hmm, seems pretty far. Ten miles at least. It would take us a while to walk there, wouldn’t it?”

“Well, it’s not like we’re in any rush or anything. And besides, I wanna show you something really cool. But! Only if we go to the mountain.” She smiled expectantly at Asami, hands balled up in excitement.

“Um, yeah! Okay, let’s do it.”

Korra looked over and said, “Take my hand. Hold on tight.” She gripped Asami’s hand and closed her eyes. Asami looked at the horizon once more, and in a few short moments the mountain went from a speck at the edge of her vision to being in full view.

As the world settled down before her, Asami looked around in disbelief, shuffling around and checking the ground to make sure she was still standing on it. Asami said, “Wait, wha-” She pointed at Korra. “You?” Korra crossed her arms and smirked.

Still incredulous, Asami queried, “How! But! We moved-”

Korra uncrossed her arms and said, “Avatar powers. Not sure how it works exactly, just that I connect to the spiritual energy and then, bam.”

“That, what? It still, no it doesn’t make sense. We went like, ten miles in just a few seconds! A train takes an immense amount of energy to go that far, and it still takes a lot longer than what we just did. And you didn’t even break a sweat.” Asami was now biting her lip, thoughts racing through her head. Korra couldn’t help but smile as she took in the sight of such a beautiful woman and such an intelligent, bright mind at work. The genius CEO was now murmuring under her breath, and in the middle of her muttering looked up at the Avatar.

“It’s like…. the earth is moving around us.” She locked eyes with Korra and smiled, emerald eyes sparkling.

“Like the whole universe is shifting around a single point. You.” She let out a soft chuckle, and said, “I can’t believe this, my girlfriend can make the universe move at her whim.”

Korra blushed deep red, and averted her eyes. Scratching the back of her neck, she said, “Uh… girl…friend?”

When Asami realized what she had let slip, her hand shot up to cover her mouth and her cheeks became as red as her jacket. After a few moments, her hand dropped from her mouth as she tried to form words. “I, uh…”

Looking back up at Asami, Korra said gingerly, “Are… are we girlfriends? You know, I kind of wanted to be… but I didn’t want to take anything too fast.”

Asami scratched the back of her neck and said, “I, with everything going on, I really didn’t want to rush into anything. But it seems like we just became girlfriends without realizing it.”

Korra took Asami’s hands in her own and smiled. “Then let’s be girlfriends.” She leaned in and left a tender kiss on Asami’s cheek. After she withdrew, she said, “You know I talked to Iroh once around here?”

Asami asked, “Really? That’s Lord Zuko’s uncle, right?

"Yep! You know… the house he was staying at should be close by. Just a second.” She closed her eyes, stood up straight and took on a standing meditation pose. After a few moments, Korra smiled. “He should be just past the hill over there.”

Asami said uncertainly, “So, I guess you uh, sensed his spirit?”

Korra said “Yeah, pretty much. Here it’s not too hard with all the spiritual energy around,” she grabbed Asami’s hand and said, “Let’s go!”

Korra started running, dragging Asami for a few steps before she started running herself, giggling along the way. They ran until they saw the little cottage. Korra cupped her hands to her lips and shouted, “Iroh! Are you home? It’s me, Korra! And my girlfriend, Asami!” She glanced over at Asami and winked at her new girlfriend. After a few moments, Iroh peeked out his door and smiled.

“Korra! Please, come! I’ve been expecting you!”

Korra said, “come on,” and rushed over with Asami to see him. Once she got to his cottage she stopped to give the old man a hug. “It’s so good to see you again, Iroh. And you said you were expecting me?”

“When the Avatar enters the spirit world, everyone here knows it. You and I have been drawn together before, Korra, and when I sensed the spirit you brought with you, somehow I just knew it was only a matter of time.” He turned his gaze and smiled at Asami.

“Oh, this is Asami. If you didn’t hear before. She’s my uh, girlfriend. We’ve been through a lot; fighting giant robots and whatnot, so we decided to take a break. And now we’re here!”

Asami grinned sheepishly and stretched out a hand. “Hello Iroh, it’s very nice to meet you.”

Iroh grasped her hand with both of his and said, “It is very nice to meet you too, Asami. Would you like some tea? You know, I used to own a tea shop during my time in your world.”

Asami nodded and said, “I would love some tea. May we come in?” After a nod and a gesture with an outstretched hand, the couple walked inside the quaint little cottage and sat down cross-legged on the floor. Iroh walked over to a cabinet, pulled two cups out of it and set them by the kettle, and filled each with tea. He brought them over, kneeled and handed each their tea. After handing them each their tea he sat down on the floor and said, “Fortunately, I had just made some before you arrived! I’m sure you two will enjoy it.”

After Asami took a sip, she lowered the cup from her mouth and inquired, “Do you not have any more tea brewed for yourself? I’m sorry if we imposed.”

The portly man chuckled and said, “No need to worry, Asami. In this world I’ve got all the time and tea I could ever need. Right now I’m going to cherish this time with my two wonderful guests. Remember girls, there’s nothing more precious than some tranquil tea time with the one you love.”

Korra blushed and said, “Well, er, we haven’t discussed that whole uh, L-word yet.”

Iroh put his hand on her shoulder and looked from her to Asami and said, “You may not be lovers, but I could tell from the moment I saw you together that yours was a deep, loving bond forged from years of friendship.”

Asami looked at Korra then said, “Well that is true. We’ve been friends for a long time now, and we’ve come a long way from when we started. Don’t you think so, Korra?”

Korra nodded and said, “We really have. Ya know, Iroh, I didn’t even like her at first. I thought she was a prissy rich girl.”

Asami said, “Well I am rich, and a little prissy. But I’m also a genius, a great fighter, and I have ridiculously nice hair. No wonder you stuck around.” She nudged Korra with her elbow and grinned, biting her lip in the process.

Korra blushed and said, “Those are all true. But those aren’t the only reasons.” She set her teacup on the floor and said, “You have a strong sense of right and wrong. You wouldn’t even let your dad persuade you to do the wrong thing. You’re so caring. You fought so hard to rebuild Republic City, and you would have abandoned your company to come take care of me at the south pole. There’s so many incredible things you’ve done. I stuck around because you’re an amazing person.” The two gazed in each other’s eyes with soft smiles.

Their reverie was broken by Iroh, who said ,“It warms my heart to see two young women who care about each other so much. You two have something special, you know. It makes me miss the woman I love.”

Asami said, “Forgive me if I overstep my bounds, but is it hard living here in the spirit world sometimes? I mean, you get to keep living, but everyone you knew and loved is going to pass on. How do you deal with that?”

Iroh stroked his chin and said, “My last night in your world was a regular night. I drank my tea with my dinner, meditated, took a bubble bath, and went to sleep. Then, I woke up in this place. I wasn’t really sure what had happened at first, but then I saw some spirits floating around. I’d seen them before, you know. I’ve always been attuned to the spirits. Anyways, after walking and finding nothing but spirits, I realized I was in the spirit world, and that I must have passed from the world I had known before. At first I was confused. I was not unhealthy or particularly old, you see. Why would I have died in my sleep? I did not know. At first I was frustrated by this. Then I was very sad. I grieved, because I would not see all of my family and friends again. That to them, my existence ceased to be. I was angry that I got to live here but my precious wife and son were not here to greet me. I wandered this world for months, feeling sorry for myself before I decided to stop and meditate about it. What I realized is that I did not die because my body had failed me. My spirit became one with this new world because I was perfectly content. I had loved wholly. I did not have any regrets about how I treated those I lost. I realized that I was perfectly content because I had not wasted a single moment of the time I had with the ones I loved most. So, to answer your question, Asami, I’m content with living here because I know the reason I’m here; because I loved.”

Korra and Asami were both wiping tears by now, and Asami said, “That was beautiful, Iroh. So you’re saying that we should love each other as much as we can.” She looked over at Korra and said, “Because who knows how much time you’ll have left with the ones you cherish.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so you eagle eyed lok fans may be wondering, "Hmm, Iroh didn't die that way! He chose to leave his body and come to the spirit world!" 
> 
> That is the canon, as ao3 user and friend LightInside pointed out when she read the chapter. Well, I really like the message and it seem like a cooler explanation, so I kept it. (Plus I almost shed a tear writing it so I'd be damned if I took it out.)


End file.
